GOP lieutenant governor wants to end Ohio Medicaid expansion

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor says she would end Medicaid expansion in Ohio if elected to succeed Gov. John Kasich, a fellow Republican who has championed the expansion.

While campaigning Monday in Cleveland, Taylor said the expansion of the program serving children, the poor and the disabled is financially unsustainable. Cleveland.com reports Taylor said Medicaid should return to a mission of serving the needy while incentivizing work.

Federal health care law signed by then-President Barack Obama allowed states to choose to get federal funding to expand Medicaid enrollment to anyone at or below 138 percent of the poverty line. Over 700,000 low-income adults are now covered under Ohio’s expansion.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that a Kasich spokesman wouldn’t say whether Taylor’s Medicaid comments affect the governor’s support for her.